Read Online A Radiant Sky by Jocelyn Davies - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jocelyn Davies
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Aaron’s words burned like those flames in my mind.
You don’t know what they’re capable of.
“Let’s go.”
We took to the sky. It was dark now, but clear and scattered with stars. The moon shone a path for us toward the mountains, toward home.
And then, all of a sudden, it was less clear.
“Is that smoke?” Raven asked, coughing.
Smoke.
“Can we get closer?” I urged. The smoke was gathering in the sky in billows of soot. We descended. “It’s coming from downtown,” I said. “See?”
Through the rising smoke, I could make out the buildings along Main Street, a crowd gathering. And then my heart lurched as I pinpointed exactly where the fire was coming from.
“It’s Into the Woods,” I said, my voice going hoarse. “It’s Aunt Jo’s store.”
8
T he fire raged.
Main Street was clogged with fire trucks and police cars. Raven and I touched down around the corner so that no one could see, and ran down the block toward the commotion. It was impossible not to think of the night of my seventeenth birthday—the night Asher and Devin showed up at Love the Bean, and the boiler had exploded. Shattered glass covered the street, and angry smoke poured from the front windows.
I could feel the heat pressing into me the closer I got to Into the Woods.
“Skye!” I whipped around. Raven pointed across the street—Aunt Jo’s pickup truck.
“Oh my god,” I yelled. I broke my way into the throngon the street. Police cordoned off a group of spectators that had gathered to watch as firemen hosed down Into the Woods from the outside. “Let me through!”
“Hey, you have to step back.” An officer stepped into my path, blocking me from the front door. “It’s not safe.” He was young and shockingly attractive, with hair as dark as the soot rising into the night sky.
“My aunt is in there!” I shouted at him. “You have to let me in! Please, you have to get out of my way!”
“I can’t let you do that, it’s not safe. There’s all kinds of structural damage in there. The firemen are inside; they’ll find anyone who didn’t make it out.” He looked me in the eye, and there was something off about him. Familiar—and yet I’d never seen him before. I shivered despite the intense heat.
Raven ran up alongside me. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she hissed, grabbing my arm. She noticed the look in my eyes. “Oh, no. No. I know what you’re thinking. Do not go in there.”
“I have to. She needs me.”
“Skye, there are trained professionals in fire suits. They have gas masks.”
I stared into the flames, looking for the best way in. “But none of them have powers like mine.”
“Skye, you really are crazy, aren’t you? If you go in there without any kind of protection, they’ll come looking for you. What are they going to think if you make it out alive?”
“We’ll just have to change the way they think, then, won’t we?”
Raven squinted at me. “You know,” she said. “I think I may have underestimated you.”
We ran together to the nearest police officer. He, too, had a strangely familiar look to him—but in the chaos of smoke and flame I couldn’t place it.
“Have you ever done this before?” Raven whispered.
“I’m part Gifted. I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out.”
The officer looked down at me, the fire reflected in his black eyes. And I stared right back into them. All I had to do was influence his thoughts. Make him forget he ever saw me—or what he was about to see.
His eyes grew vague, far-off. He whispered something I couldn’t hear, and then turned his back to me, walking away in the other direction.
Raven and I looked at each other. I was just as surprised as she was.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Raven said. “ I couldn’t even do that. Only the most powerful, the Gifted—”
“Flatter me later,” I said. “I have to go.” I should have felt panicked, but what I felt instead was a fierce determination to
You don’t know what they’re capable of.
“Let’s go.”
We took to the sky. It was dark now, but clear and scattered with stars. The moon shone a path for us toward the mountains, toward home.
And then, all of a sudden, it was less clear.
“Is that smoke?” Raven asked, coughing.
Smoke.
“Can we get closer?” I urged. The smoke was gathering in the sky in billows of soot. We descended. “It’s coming from downtown,” I said. “See?”
Through the rising smoke, I could make out the buildings along Main Street, a crowd gathering. And then my heart lurched as I pinpointed exactly where the fire was coming from.
“It’s Into the Woods,” I said, my voice going hoarse. “It’s Aunt Jo’s store.”
8
T he fire raged.
Main Street was clogged with fire trucks and police cars. Raven and I touched down around the corner so that no one could see, and ran down the block toward the commotion. It was impossible not to think of the night of my seventeenth birthday—the night Asher and Devin showed up at Love the Bean, and the boiler had exploded. Shattered glass covered the street, and angry smoke poured from the front windows.
I could feel the heat pressing into me the closer I got to Into the Woods.
“Skye!” I whipped around. Raven pointed across the street—Aunt Jo’s pickup truck.
“Oh my god,” I yelled. I broke my way into the throngon the street. Police cordoned off a group of spectators that had gathered to watch as firemen hosed down Into the Woods from the outside. “Let me through!”
“Hey, you have to step back.” An officer stepped into my path, blocking me from the front door. “It’s not safe.” He was young and shockingly attractive, with hair as dark as the soot rising into the night sky.
“My aunt is in there!” I shouted at him. “You have to let me in! Please, you have to get out of my way!”
“I can’t let you do that, it’s not safe. There’s all kinds of structural damage in there. The firemen are inside; they’ll find anyone who didn’t make it out.” He looked me in the eye, and there was something off about him. Familiar—and yet I’d never seen him before. I shivered despite the intense heat.
Raven ran up alongside me. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she hissed, grabbing my arm. She noticed the look in my eyes. “Oh, no. No. I know what you’re thinking. Do not go in there.”
“I have to. She needs me.”
“Skye, there are trained professionals in fire suits. They have gas masks.”
I stared into the flames, looking for the best way in. “But none of them have powers like mine.”
“Skye, you really are crazy, aren’t you? If you go in there without any kind of protection, they’ll come looking for you. What are they going to think if you make it out alive?”
“We’ll just have to change the way they think, then, won’t we?”
Raven squinted at me. “You know,” she said. “I think I may have underestimated you.”
We ran together to the nearest police officer. He, too, had a strangely familiar look to him—but in the chaos of smoke and flame I couldn’t place it.
“Have you ever done this before?” Raven whispered.
“I’m part Gifted. I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out.”
The officer looked down at me, the fire reflected in his black eyes. And I stared right back into them. All I had to do was influence his thoughts. Make him forget he ever saw me—or what he was about to see.
His eyes grew vague, far-off. He whispered something I couldn’t hear, and then turned his back to me, walking away in the other direction.
Raven and I looked at each other. I was just as surprised as she was.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Raven said. “ I couldn’t even do that. Only the most powerful, the Gifted—”
“Flatter me later,” I said. “I have to go.” I should have felt panicked, but what I felt instead was a fierce determination to
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